Meet South Africa’s Talented 17 Year Old Author Dineo Kodisang
Meet Dineo Kodisang – a 17-year-old South African writer and author. She is a student, a daughter to a very big family and above all else she is a female that never lets society bring her down. The rocks in her life are, “The rocks in my life have to be my parents, my English teacher Mrs Simelane and all my supporters because there’s no Dineo without them.”
Dineo didn’t always enjoy writing, “Writing essays used to be a hassle me now it’s what I do. My writing started in 2015, my writing used to be just thoughts in my journal until I wrote an essay that changed my life. It was an essay I wrote in grade 7. My English teacher saw potential and motivated me to never stop writing. No matter how small.”
At 17 she is already a published author of, Love and Sorrow, “It that came about at an unexpected time. It started off as just a joke or something I did to pass time. I was really inspired when people liked it and I received great feedback, that was when I continued to better it and add more chapters.”
Her favourite writers, “I have a lot of favourite writers, young and old. I believe it would be unfair to choose one because they are all so amazing, however three writers that stood out for me have to be, Neo TheSoulHealer, Bongani TheAuthor and Neo Cholo.
I choose them because through my writing my career they have helped me grow as a writer and as a person. They have helped me venture to greater heights. They have helped me reach for better things. To see myself as an amazing writer and they inspire me to be better and to do better.”
The books that inspire Dineo are – I, Before We – Oluchi. B Kolanisi and Our Wedding in Cana – Nyeleti Munisi.
When people read her book, she wants them to, “I want them to feel inspired. I want them to realise that there’s more to life than your past that you keep revisiting at night. I hope they realise that to me this is a page turner and I hope they fall in love with it. I hope it sheds light to trials and tribulations that women go through. I hope it lessens the GBV stats in this country.”
The highlights of being a writer have been, “One of my biggest highlights of being a writer has to be when I was featured on the ETV Morning show. Another one has to be when my book was approved to being sold in a bookstore.”
The most played songs in her playlist currently are:
- Vula Mlomo – Musa Keys
- God Speed – Frank Ocean
- Every Kind of Way – H. E. R
- Her Heart – Anthony Hamilton
- Still Your Best – Giveon
The best advice Dineo has ever been given is, “At this point and time of your life, you have realised that not everyone will be happy for you. Not every day will be a good day. Don’t tie your sales to your self-worth. It will sell as much as it needs to sell. This is the start of something great.”
Dineo wants to be remembered as, “The girl that never gave up. The girl that pushed doors that were closed but she kept pushing anyway. I would like to be remembered as someone who never let society tell her what she can do and cannot do because there is so much that girls can do, and girls will do.”
Love and Sorrow is available at one bookstore in Soweto, Vilakazi The Box Shop. For people in the Western Cape, they can keep an eye on Balakudu Bookstore, it’s due to arrive soon. Everyone else they can keep an eye on Dineo’s social media pages to know when Love and Sorrow might visit one of their nearest bookstores.
You can connect with Dineo Kodisang on social media via the following:
Instagram: Dynamicaura_1
Twitter: dineo_kodisang
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